Calutron



1956 E. o. LAWRENCE ET AL 2,733,349

CALUTRON Filed Aug. 15, 1946 g afffizzzzs I ATTORNEY United States Patent CALUTRON Ernest 0. Lawrence and William M. Brubeck, Berkeley, Calili, assignors to the United States of America as represented by the United States Atomic Energy Comnnssion Application August 15, 1946, Serial No. 690,802 9 Claims. (Cl. 250-41.9)

like to be passed from the receiver door through a wall of the tank to the exterior where it can be appropriately manipulated. This requires the employment of some form of air seal Where the rod passes through the wall order to prevent leakage of air into the be moved durmg operation of the calutron.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide in the calutron tank a mechanism adapted to cooperate 2,733,349 Patented Jan. 31, 1956 passing through a Wall thereof.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a mechanism disposed within a calutron tank and adapted to make an auxih'ary electrodynamic or electromagnetic use of that magnetic field for opening and closing a door associated with an ion receiver, also disposed within the tank.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following disclosure of a pretank, a source unit disposed within the tank for projecting for moving the door; and

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the receiver, the receiver Referring to the structure shown in the drawings, a calutron tank 11, having a suitable pump-out conduit 12 for evacuating the tank, is disposed between a pair of vertically spaced-apart pole pieces 13 of an electromagnet adapted to create a magnetic field pervading the interior of the tank and passing upwardly therethrough, as indicated by lines 14 in Fig. 2 As shown schematically in Fig. l, a source unit 16. is disposed Within the tank 11 for prothe tank 11 on a supporting tube 19;

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the receiver 18 comprises box-type of ion collector 22 having a beam delimiting slot 23 in one wall thereof for admitting into the collector a selected portion of the ion. beam. contaminating the interior of the collector 22 during initial focusing of the beam and before beam conditions have short distance to one side of the receiver 18 and supports a housing 32, preferably made of stainless steel and adapted to shield from ion bombardment a suitable electric motor In order to avoidarmature and winding for actuating the parallel motion linkage described above.

The structure comprising the armature and winding enclosed by the housing 32 includes a cylindrical core member 33 of any suitable material disposed between a pair of disks 34 of stainless steel or other suitably rigid material of low magnetic permeability. The disks 34 are larger in diameter than the core member 33 and define an annular space lined with suitable electrically insulating material 36 and adapted to receive the windings of a solenoid 37. The core and solenoid assembly is supported in the housing 32 by a bolt 38 that passes through the core member 33 and out of the housing through a collar 39 formed integrally with the housing. A tubular insulator 41, having a flanged end disposed inside the housing, and an insulating collar 42 disposed outside the housing encircle the bolt 38 and cooperate to hold the core and solenoid assembly rigidly in the housing and electrically insulated therefrom.

One electrical lead 43 of the solenoid 37 is grounded to the housing 32, and the other lead (not shown) is connected inside the housing to the bolt 38. A continuation 44 of the latter lead is run from the bolt 38 through a wall of the tank in any desired manner (not shown) to a suitable source of power operative to apply an electrical potential between the lead 44 and ground for energizing the solenoid.

By virtue of the fact that the core and solenoid assembly are disposed in the calutron magnetic field, energization of the coil by passing a current therethrough in the proper direction will, according to well known principles, cause the assembly to move from its lowermost position (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) to its uppermost position (shown in phantom outline in Fig. 3). When the core and solenoid assembly moves upwardly in response to energization of the solenoid 37, the parallel motion linkage is actuated to move the door 24 to its inoperative position to one side of the beam delimiting slot 23, and the door is held in its inoperative position as long as current is flowing through the solenoid. When the fiow of current through the solenoid is interrupted, the weight of the core and solenoid assembly is sufficient for it to drop downwardly to its lowermost position under the influence of gravity, thereby moving the door 24 back to its operative position in front of the beam delimiting slot 23.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that a mechanism has been provided for actuating the door of a calutron receiver that is extremely simple in its construction and operation and that does not require passing a mechanically movable element through a wall of the tank. While a specific embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein in detail, it will also be appreciated that these details are subject to considerable modification Without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a calutron including a tank adapted to be evacuated, means for creating a magnetic field within said tank, and means for projecting an ion beam within said tank along a path determined by said magnetic field; an adjustable element mounted within said tank, and means including an electrically conducting coil disposed within said tank and reacting with said magnetic field for moving said adjustable element.

2. In a calutron including a tank adapted to be evacuated, means for creating a magnetic field within said tank, and means for projecting an ion beam within said tank along a path determined by said magnetic field; an adjustable element mounted within said tank, and means including an electric current carrying conductor disposed within said tank and cooperating with said magnetic field for moving said adjustable element.

3. In a calutron including a tank adapted to be evacuated, means for creating a magnetic field within said tank, and means for projecting an ion beam within said tank along a path determined by said magnetic field; an adjustable element mounted within said tank, and means including an armature provided with a current carrying winding and disposed within said tank and cooperating with said magnetic field for moving said adjustable element.

4. In a calutron including a tank adapted to be evacuated, means for creating a magnetic field within said tank, means for projecting an ion beam within said tank along a path determined by said magnetic field toward an ion receiver disposed in the path of said beam for receiving ions traveling therein; a door mounted on said receiver for movement between operative and inoperative positions, and means including an electrically conducting coil disposed within said tank and reacting with said magnetic field for moving said door from one of said positions to the other.

5. In a calutron having an evacuated tank pervaded with a magnetic field, means for projecting an ion beam within said tank along a path determined by said field, a stationary ion receiver disposed in said tank, a movable shield adapted to prevent the impingement of said ion beam upon said receiver, an electrical conductor movably mounted within said tank and adapted to utilize said magnetic field during its movement, means connecting said movable conductor to said shield, and means for supplying electrical current to said conductor.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said conductor comprises a motor armature and winding enclosed within a housing of low magnetic permeability.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said means connecting the conductor and shield comprises a mechanical linkage.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said shield is normally held in shielding position by gravity.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said movable conductor is disposed laterally of said ion receiver.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

1. IN A CALUTRON INCLUDING A TANK ADAPTED TO BE EVACUATED, MEANS FOR CREATING A MAGNETIC FIELD WITHIN SAID TANK, AND MEANS FOR PROJECTING AN ION BEAM WITHIN SAID TANK ALONG A PATH DETERMINED BY SAID MAGNETIC FIELD; AN ADJUSTABLE ELEMENT MOUNTED WITHIN SAID TANK, AND MEANS INCLUDING AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING COIL DISPOSED WITHIN SAID TANK AND REACTING WITH SAID MAGNETIC FIELD FOR MOVING SAID ADJUSTABLE ELEMENT. 